Sex before fertility test???

[Noodlemuncha]

Hello all, we’ve been TTC for a few months now and going to have some fertility tests done tomorrow. No reason to think anything wrong at this stage but I am in my thirties and just want some peace of mind that all in working order...

Anyway, CB ovulation test says I am now at peak fertility for this month but we are not supposed to have sex for a few days before sperm test. Hubby about to go abroad for months on end (in military) so I’m conscious this is our last month of trying for a while so want to make most of opportunity, however don’t want to cause problems for sperm count test tomorrow! Rescheduling not an option as hubby literally goes away on Monday. Aaarrggh - what should I do? Am tempted to go for it and just bear in mind that any low sperm count results might be a result of not adhering to the rules!

It's advised to build up reserves for 2-5 days before semen analysis.

When DH did a sample after abstaining for 36h or so, the results came back about 25% poorer than after abstaining for 4-5 days.

However, just to give you an example of sperm count. The average is 255M. 1 in 20 men have over 800M in a sample. For infertility diagnosis, it needs to be under 39M.

Assuming DH was average, his sample might be, say, 180m instead of 255 if he doesn't build up his reserves enough. However, it's still be a long way away from infertility.

On the other hand, if the result comes back at 30 or 50m, you'll know he's pretty boarderline anyway. If it's a bit close, they'll suggest a repeat test as no doctor would diagnose infertility based on a single sample.

All in all, I'd probably dtd anyway but expect the results to be slightly lower then they'd otherwise be.

I would think that if you are given guidelines for a test then you should stick to them, otherwise the results could be meaningless and the test a waste of time.

I would go for it but reschedule the test for when he comes back in a few months time - if you aren’t pregnant of course!!

Thanks all for comments - we stuck to the rules in the end. Glad we did.